Everyone knows the popular suggestions. Darius Rucker. Dawn Staley. Steve Spurrier. Instantly recognizable names clearly associated with South Carolina athletics who would be simple, likely choices for Saturday’s nod as the celebrity guest picker on College GameDay.
The celebrity guest picker dates back to 2004, when Charles Barkley broke the seal as the first one ever as ESPN’s iconic Saturday morning show rolled through Auburn. Often it is a famous alum of the hosting school, almost always either a former player or coach or someone in pop culture.
But as ESPN prepares to broadcast live from Columbia on Saturday morning before the Gamecocks host LSU, what if the network decides to go a little bit off the board, choosing someone maybe with quieter ties to South Carolina? Here are five under the radar candidates to take the set with Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and the rest of the crew on Saturday.
Paul Mainieri
College baseball is certainly not as mainstream as football or basketball, but don’t tell that to anyone in the obsessed towns of Baton Rouge or Columbia.
Mainieri would be a natural fit with strong ties to both LSU and South Carolina. The new Gamecock baseball head coach spent 15 seasons at the helm in Baton Rouge, winning LSU a National Championship in 2009. He definitely would not have the instant national recognition of a Staley or Spurrier, but is a choice both LSU and South Carolina fans alike would immediately be fond of and is more than personable enough to hold his own on television for a 10-minute segment.
Frank (or Hunter) Beamer
What about someone in the Beamer bloodline?
Frank Beamer coached in 12 College GameDay games at Virginia Tech, but has never put on a microphone and predicted them since his 2015 retirement. But with his son as the head coach in one for just the second time in his career and first time in a home game, Beamer could chop it and provide a fresh perspective not only on the college football landscape.
Shane Beamer’s son Hunter might be a little bit of a stretch to carry his own segment, but it would not be the first time kids have appeared on the picks segment. Kirk Herbstreit was famous for having his sons make picks with him whenever the show visited Ohio State in the 2000s, and Hunter Beamer is always at the front of the line and visible on the sidelines whenever the Gamecocks are in action.
Alex English
When most people think of famous South Carolina athletes, their minds jump to names like A’ja Wilson or Jadeveon Clowney. But what about the NBA’s leading scorer from the 1980s?
He scored more points in the decade than the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and he is a passionate Gamecock. English still lives in Blythewood, S.C., is frequently around the university as a member of South Carolina’s Board of Trustees and has voiced his support for Beamer’s program on social media in the past.
Quincy Hall
How about an Olympic gold medalist?
The former South Carolina track star took home the gold in the men’s 400 meter race in Paris with a late comeback. He became the first Gamecock to win an Olympic medal in an individual event since 2012 and only the second ever to win an individual gold. Although he does not have a connection with a traditional "revenue" collegiate sport, he would be a name a lot of viewers are at least aware of after his heroics over the summer.
Trick Williams
Last time College GameDay visited Columbia, Williams was on the field playing for the Gamecocks against Missouri in 2014. Since then he has moved on to a very different life as a professional wrestler, initially signing with the WWE in 2021 and quickly gaining popularity since then.
Not only does Williams fit the obvious football criteria, he also has a connection with one of the show’s hosts — Pat McAfee – from his time as a WWE commentator.
Williams has enough of a fanbase to at least by known by some overlapping portion of the College Gameday audience, and it would be a full circle pick after he was on the roster last time the show hit Williams-Brice Stadium.
Did we get it right? Who else could be a dark horse candidate for the show Saturday? Let us know on the insider's forum.
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